Comments on: Licensing, the Recession, and Day Care With Love http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/12/licensing-the-recession-and-day-care-with-love.html Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:56:48 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Stokes http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/12/licensing-the-recession-and-day-care-with-love.html/comment-page-1#comment-4372 David Stokes Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:32:36 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=9891#comment-4372 I think that the costs of full compliance with the state's regulations is rather high, as the article states. Here are the FAQs at the state's website: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/ChildCare/faq.html#q30 and here are the regulations fully licensed facilities have to comply with: http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/current/19csr/19c30-62.pdf. Go to the third to last page to see a ridiculous example of bureaucratic management in the intricate details of the food a day care center is required to provide by state law. There are educational requirements, both as a prerequisite to licensing and as continuing education. Those are often the most costly rules for licensed professions. As the FAQs state, there is no annual fee for the license (a rarity among licensed professions), but there are definitely costs for compliance, like building a better fence because yours is one-inch too short. I think that the costs of full compliance with the state’s regulations is rather high, as the article states. Here are the FAQs at the state’s website: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/ChildCare/faq.html#q30
and here are the regulations fully licensed facilities have to comply with: http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/current/19csr/19c30-62.pdf. Go to the third to last page to see a ridiculous example of bureaucratic management in the intricate details of the food a day care center is required to provide by state law.

There are educational requirements, both as a prerequisite to licensing and as continuing education. Those are often the most costly rules for licensed professions. As the FAQs state, there is no annual fee for the license (a rarity among licensed professions), but there are definitely costs for compliance, like building a better fence because yours is one-inch too short.

]]> By: Papillon http://www.showmedaily.org/2009/12/licensing-the-recession-and-day-care-with-love.html/comment-page-1#comment-4369 Papillon Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:50:25 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=9891#comment-4369 What are the explicit costs of licensing? I tend to think that they are low, but may be wrong. The cost is having a 'good' enough daycare to get the license from the accrediting agency, state agency or not. There are non-government accrediting agencies and they could do the job for the perspective parents, separating 'educators' from 'babysitters'. Heck, touring the facility will do a reasonable job of that, too. Most people know that your neighbor with a background in raising their own children only will do a different kind of job than someone with a degree in childhood development. As a personal note, bad actors/evil doers can be anywhere, but I do think that the more adults around the less likely these acts are going to happen. That is a personal belief, not a wish for government action. What are the explicit costs of licensing? I tend to think that they are low, but may be wrong. The cost is having a ‘good’ enough daycare to get the license from the accrediting agency, state agency or not.

There are non-government accrediting agencies and they could do the job for the perspective parents, separating ‘educators’ from ‘babysitters’. Heck, touring the facility will do a reasonable job of that, too. Most people know that your neighbor with a background in raising their own children only will do a different kind of job than someone with a degree in childhood development.

As a personal note, bad actors/evil doers can be anywhere, but I do think that the more adults around the less likely these acts are going to happen. That is a personal belief, not a wish for government action.

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